Sorry that I haven't been posting more frequently. I've been reading and evaluating lots of books as I am one of three judges for the 2019 Margaret Wise Brown Prize in Children's Literature--along with E.B. Lewis and Laura McGee Kvasnosky--and a first round judge for the Cybils Poetry Award.﻿

Friday, October 12, 2018

Some
time ago, I got an idea for a collection of poems titled The Animal in Me. In
the poems, children would imagine themselves to be like certain animals at times depending on how they felt. For example,
an angry child might feel like he/she was a grizzly bear--or a child being sent
to his/her room as punishment might feel like a big cat trapped in a cage. The collection
never went too far. Here is one of the poems from it.

Friday, September 7, 2018

Today, I'm sharing a memoir poem about my maternal
grandmother. She and my grandfather were Polish immigrants who came to America
in the early part of the 20th century. Like many immigrants who were peasants,
they had a garden and fruit trees and grew much of their own food. Years ago, a childhood image of my Babci preserving tomatoes inspired the following
poem:

Friday, July 27, 2018

I
am happy to tell you that Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong's newest poetry
anthology--GREAT MORNING!: Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud--has just
been published. I am also thrilled that one of my poems is included in this
book!!!

About Me

I worked as an elementary school teacher for more than three decades and as a school librarian for three years. I also taught a children's literature course at Boston University from 2002-2008. I served on the advisory board of the Keene State College Children’s Literature Festival from 2006-2008 and as a member of the NCTE Poetry Committee from 2009-2012. I am now retired and write poetry for children. "Things to Do," my first children's book, will be published by Chronicle Books in February of 2017.